Orthodontics
Adult Orthodontics
More and more adults today are seeking orthodontic treatment to improve their smile. Often times, because adults usually are more compliant in their orthodontic treatment, their results turn out far greater than with a child and or a teen. Orthodontic treatment is not only designed to improve your smile's appearance, but also, to improve the health of your teeth and gums. If you have crowded or overlapping teeth, you may be unable to reach those areas and run the risk of severe tooth decay, gum and bone loss, irregular wear of tooth enamel and possible TMJ/TMD pain. Recent improvements in traditional braces have resulted in smaller, stronger, more efficient and less conspicuous brackets. Conventional braces with metal brackets are the most familiar, however, clear and tooth-color ceramic and plastic brackets are now available.
Clear Braces
Translucent 'clear' braces and tooth colored ceramic brackets provide a very aesthetic alternative to traditional metal braces. Today's clear braces provide the same quality of treatment as metal braces, but are simply less noticeable.
Closing Gaps
When closing a diastema (gap between teeth), differing amounts of movement of the two teeth is often needed. In this appliance, coil springs are placed to the side of each tooth. An arch wire acts as a guide and keeps the teeth from tipping as the space is closed.
Cosmetic Adult Braces
Are you one of the millions of adults who are unhappy, self-conscious or even embarrassed of your smile?
Many adults spend their entire lives covering their mouths when they laugh, smile or talk. They feel stuck because they do not want to wear metal braces for years or they are concerned that other corrective procedures could be too invasive or too expensive. Now, there is an effective, safe and affordable cosmetic solution that fits your lifestyle.
A revolutionary combination of proven orthodontic techniques, modern materials, and innovative thought - Six Month Smiles® utilizes specialized clear braces to gently straighten and align teeth in an average time of just six months.
Invisalign
Dr. Irwin, an Invisalign dentist in La Habra, often recommends an Invisalign procedure rather than traditional braces. Invisalign is the breakthrough technology that lets you have the smile you've always wanted without the hassle of braces. By using a series of clear, removable aligners, Invisalign straightens your teeth with results you'll notice sooner than you think. The course of treatment involves changing aligners approximately every two weeks, moving your teeth into straighter position step-by-step, until you have a more beautiful smile. And unlike conventional braces, these clear aligners can be removed while you eat and brush your teeth as usual. An average Invisalign course of treatment takes about a year.
| Â | INVISALIGN | BRACES |
|---|---|---|
| Effectively treats a wide variety of cases, including crowding, spacing, crossbite, overbite and underbite. | X | X |
| Straightens your teeth | X | X |
| Average cost is about $5,000* | X | X |
| Allows you to eat whatever foods you enjoy | X | Â |
| Lets you remove the device when you want | X | Â |
| Lets you enjoy virtually invisible teeth-straightening | X | Â |
| Allows you to brush and floss your teeth normally for better periodontal health | X | Â |
| Consists of smooth, comfortable plastic instead of sharp metal that is more likely to irritate your cheeks and gums | X | Â |
| Frees up your busy schedule, with office visits only every four to six weeks | X | Â |
| Invisalign Teen: Provides up to six free replacement aligners if lost or broken.** | X | Â |
* November 2010 Invisalign Patient Survey
** Invisalign Teen Only
Invisalign Website
Invisalign Self Assessment
Lingual Arch
A lower lingual arch is a space maintainer for the lower teeth. It maintains the molars where they are, it does not move them. It keeps the molars from migrating forward and prevents them from blocking off space of teeth that develop later. Used when early loss of baby teeth or when lower teeth are slightly crowded.
Palate Expander
A palatal expander is an appliance placed in the roof of the mouth to widen the upper dental arch, which allows the arch to be painlessly separated and spread. A treatment used for younger patients. Many times a palatal expander can be used to create a proper alignment of the arches so permanent teeth have room to erupt in a natural position. Often, the use of an arch expander early may eliminate the need for braces later.
Space Maintainer
A space maintainer is a removable or fixed appliance designed to maintain an existing space. They are usually fitted to children when they have lost baby teeth early. The gap left from losing this tooth needs to be held open for the permanent tooth to erupt in its correct position.
Spring Distalizer
This appliance is indicated when one molar (an erupting six-year molar) is caught under the edge of a primary second molar. The appliance features a wire spring which is attached to the erupting molar and to the second molar. The spring provides the force to move the erupting molar into proper position.
Posterior Cross Bite
A posterior cross bite can appear at an early age, and depending on its cause (mal-positioned teeth or misaligned jaws) treatment may be warranted early. It can involve one or both sides of the molar area and in some cases in can cause a 'shift' of the bite. Many appliances are available for treating the condition and your dentist will discuss in detail the risks and benefits of treating a posterior cross bite.
Open Bite
Anterior open bite refer to a condition in which the top and bottom front teeth are not in contact (they do not touch each other when the patient bites). The origins of open bites can be traced to habits that patients have or had in the past, and occasionally to discrepancies between the sizes of the jaws. Since most open bites in children are associated to an existing habit, treatment usually addresses the habit itself and is most effective when done at an early age. Many appliances are available for treating this condition and your dentist will discuss in detail the risks and benefits of treating an open bite in children.
Over Bite
Class II - A malocclusion where the upper teeth stick out past the lower teeth commonly referred to as an 'over bite', 'over jet', 'deep bite' or 'buck teeth'.
Spring Hawley Retainer
After completing orthodontic therapy it is not uncommon to still need a little fine tuning of tooth alignment. This is particularly true in patients who have undergone extensive orthodontic therapy and are simply 'burned out.'
This retainer is useful in correcting minor rotations and crowding. When worn, the spring action of the wires, provide a light force to align the teeth. The appliance is constructed to the 'ideal' setting and the patient's teeth adapt to their new position.
Swing Lock Expander
Arch (the 'arc' line created by teeth in normal position development) is a collective term that describes a variety of appliances used to gain both arch width and arch length. These appliances range from simple appliances with lap springs to high-speed, rapid palatal expanders. They may utilize orthodontic movement and/or orthopedic movement and may be either fixed or removable.
When a patient's arch is v-shaped and needs widening only in the front of the mouth, an appliance that expands only in the anterior (front) region is necessary. An expansion screw in conjunction with a separate posterior (back) hinge in this appliance allows for the gain in anterior space without affecting the posterior bite relationship.
Twin Block (overbite treatment)
Overbite treatment with the Twin Block, a removable functional appliance consisting of two bite blocks (twin blocks), upper and lower, that are designed to interlock at 70 degrees in such a manner that the mandible (lower jaw) is held in a more protrusive position. Over time, the repositioning of the lower jaw forward eliminates the overbite (horizontal projection of upper teeth beyond the lower teeth). When treatment with the Twin Block is complete, teeth in the upper and lower jaws will interact normally.
Misaligned Bite
Class I - A malocclusion where the bite is okay and the top teeth line up with the bottom teeth, but the teeth are crooked, crowded or turned.
Under Bite
Class III - A malocclusion where the lower teeth stick out past the upper teeth called an 'under bite'.
Wilson 3D Appliance
When the desired objective of a treatment plan requires bodily tooth movements, significant tooth rotations, root torquing or leveling, aligning, and rotating of entire arches, it is necessary to utilize full arch fixed mechanics.
The Wilson 3D system utilizes a series of precision arch wire systems to enhance the efficiency of most fixed appliances. These snap-in modules fit into lingual tubes that attach to molar bands. Rapid results from using the Wilson 3D system are possible due to the twenty-four hour per day wearing time. This system is effective in a variety of movements and tooth positioning.
